Cinema
Oh the Days!
الأيام الأيام
Ahmed El Maânouni · 1978
Synopsis
In a small village in the Moroccan countryside, Abdelwahed, the eldest of eight children, becomes the support of the whole family on his father's death. He dreams of a better life and places his hope in leaving for France, where he would find work: he fills in the forms and waits for his permit. His mother, Hlima, recently widowed and a woman of great character, tries to dissuade him and calls on the grandfather for help, while the days pass to the rhythm of the work in the fields.
Context
The filmmaker first gathered facts and anecdotes collected from the peasants of the Casablanca region, then asked them to act; according to Il Cinema Ritrovato, they are the inhabitants of Toualàa, among the Oulad Ziane, with Abdelwahed and his family foremost. The film thus stands between fiction and documentary, and its author also signed the cinematography; the music is by Nass El Ghiwane, the editing by Martine Chicot. Restored by the Cineteca di Bologna and the L'Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, with funding from The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project, it was screened again at the Berlinale Forum in 2017.
Who it is for
Feature film in Moroccan Arabic, 80 to 90 minutes depending on the prints; restored, it is available on DVD and online from the distributor Trigon-film.
Prizes and reception
The first Moroccan film selected at the Cannes Film Festival, in Un certain regard in 1978, and winner of the grand prize at the Mannheim festival the same year.
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